A Simple Fisherman
by dangertux
Summary: What happens to Sousuke after he leaves Mithril and attempts to become an ordinary guy? SousukexTessa and OOCish This is the first part of what started as a short story that became a series of short stories because my wife liked them... Review please, but be gentle I'm new to this :-


**A Simple Fisherman  
**

****Disclaimer : I own nothing, all characters and likenesses are property of their respective owners.  
A/N: This is my first attempt at a Full Metal Panic Fic. It's a little OOC and I'm not the best writer in the world... Please be gentle :-)

**Resignation**

"Seriously, you can't mean you're not going to re-enlist Sousuke!" The blonde haired pretty boy Sergeant Kurz Weber bellowed as he followed his somber friend through the halls of the Tuatha De Danaan.

Sergeant Sagara did not respond. He had firmly decided that his tour of duty had come to an end and he would not continue it.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! You know, just because there is no threat on Kaname's life anymore doesn't mean you have to leave Mithril, right? I mean, I know that you're busted up that she left for the U.S. to study with her new boyfriend but you'll see her again when she realizes he's a loser." Kurz said, attempting to make headway with Sousuke.

Just then, the unkempt youth known as Sergeant Sagara turned to face his friend. "Listen Kurz, if that's why you think I'm doing this, then you don't know me as well as you think you do."

"Oh right, then why is it you're not going to re-up? I bet you you'll be on the next thing smoking to New York and you'll be chasing Kaname. You'll be doing it with your own money, because Mithril won't be backing you anymore, and when she shoots you down then what? Are you going to come crawl -

Kurz's sentence was interrupted by a swift right hook from Sagara. "Kurz, I've known you for a long time, and it would really be a shame to end things this way. I told you, this isn't about Kaname, and this isn't about her new boyfriend for once it's about me." He said, wearing a genuinely forlorn expression.

"Whatever you say man... I don't believe it, but I really hope you find whatever it is you're looking for." Kurz replied while nursing his throbbing jaw.

"Break it up you two!" Sergeant Major Melissa Mao shouted from around a corner. "Sosuke, just the man I'm looking for , come with me." She continued.

"Yes ma'am." Sosuke replied emotionlessly.

They walked at a fast clip through the narrow hallways of the submarine. "Listen, the Captain wants to see you, it seems she was rather upset by your decision to leave Mithril. Before she gets ahold of you though, I would like to discuss some things with you. To be honest, I can't say I didn't see it coming... But are you sure this is what you want Sosuke?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied sternly

"Don't give me that crap Sosuke, you're an incredible soldier, is this about what you want? Or is this about Kaname?" The Sergeant Major asked sternly, she too was convinced that Sagara was having issues coping with Kaname's seeming abandonment of him.

"No ma'am, it's not about Kaname -

"Okay, then tell me what it is about hot shot?" Melissa asked conivingly. She was convinced the youth would not have a good answer.

"Truthfully... You asked me once what I wanted to do with my life. I didn't have an

answer for you back then." Sousuke paused for a moment thoughtfully. "I've been a soldier since I can remember, killing, watching my friends die..." He paused again, letting the information process with Mel. " I have my own goals and aspirations, they don't include killing or watching my friends get hurt. I'm 18 now, I managed to finish High School, I want to go to college, I want to do something with myself." Sosuke replied honestly.

Melissa was caught off guard by his response. She remembered clearly the conversation he spoke of, and she also remembered how upset she was that he had no idea what he wanted for himself at the time. Perhaps, it just took him some time to grow up.

"You know, the time I spent with Kaname, it was one of the most valuable experiences in my life. That's not just to say that I had feelings for her, at one point I thought I did, but honestly... I was in love with the situation. I was in love with the possibility of being normal, it wasn't just her, it was the environment. There were opportunities, for something other than... Killing." He continued thoughtfully.

"Well, if that's the case then there is nothing I can say, because I think you're making the right decision. Mark my words though Sousuke! If I find you chasing after that girl after the story you just told me though, I'm going to kick your ass!" She warned. "Now let's get you to the Captain." Melissa added, now much more light hearted. She felt legitimately proud of him, and hoped that he wasn't lying about his intentions. She also hoped for a world that would be tolerant of his ambitions, after all, it wasn't every day that someone in Sousuke's situation was accepted into the civilian world with open arms.

Sousuke's interactions with the Captain however would not go as smoothly. As he walked sharply into the room he announced himself loudly. "Ma'am Sergeant Sousuke Sagara reporting as ordered!"

He stopped 3 paces from her large wooden desk and rendered a precise and snappy salute. The pale young Captain remained seated behind the desk. She said nothing, she simply looked at Sagara for a moment. Sosuke was beginning to become frightened, never in the time that he had known Captain Testarossa had she said nothing and looked so cold for such a length of time.

"So... I understand that you wish to leave Mithril. Is that correct Sergeant?" Tessa broke the eerie silence between the two, but her voice lacked the soft compassionate resonance it normally possessed.

"Affirmitive ma'am." Sosuke answered, unsure of what to expect next.

Again, another uncomfortable silence fell between them. In the past Tessa had let out several ridiculous outbursts in times like this, and though she had matured slightly, Sosuke was still well aware of her feelings for him. He was also aware of her resentment toward Kaname for his presumed feelings toward her.

"So then I'm to take it you've finally chosen her over me?" Tessa asked, her eyes narrowing as she questioned the young Sergeant before her.

"Ma'am... It's not like -

"Enough! Forget that it's irresponsible and nearly a dereliction of duty for you to leave us now. Just forget that, it's your right to go, your contract is over. Just know that I'm done pining over you Sosuke! I am done throwing myself out there and getting nothing in return!" That was it, Tessa had snapped, she was unable to deal with what she presumed to be her final loss at the hands of Kaname Chidori.

"Ma'am! It's not lik -

"Just stop, if you want to chase her, go! If that's really what you want, you're dismissed we have nothing else to talk about Sergeant. As far as I'm concerned you are easily replaceable! Mediocre mercenaries are a dime a dozen! You may leave now!" The young Captain continued her tirade.

"Yes ma'am." Sosuke replied as he walked quickly toward the door.

In her anger Tessa likely didn't notice that Sosuke had actually actually been legitimately hurt by her remarks.

**A Letter to My Captain**

It had been nearly a week since Sosuke's contract had ended and he had returned to Japan, the country he now called home. Most assumed that he would leave Japan shortly after to follow Kaname to New York. Most would have been wrong.

Back on the Tuatha De Danaan the chiseled form of Commander Kalinin stood at attention

before his Captain.

"Mister Kalinin, there was something you wanted to speak with me about?" The young woman timidly asked the battle hardened veteran standing rigid before her.

"I wanted only to give you this." Kalinin held out a sealed envelope, on the front it read 'CPT. T Testarossa'. "This was found in Sergeant Sagara's quarters after he left the ship. It is addressed to you ma'am."

"Thank you Commander, but you can throw that away. I don't believe Mister Sagara has anything else to say that I need to hear." She replied, regarding the envelope bitterly as if it had just reopened a grievous wound in her heart.

"Ma'am... If I may speak freely." Commander Kalinin pushed.

Tessa noticed that this was categorically unlike the normally very disciplined man and took great heed when he went out of his way to make it known that he was speaking personally.

"You may, but it is unlikely to sway my decision." She said tersely.

"I believe quite firmly that Mister Sagara does have something left to say that you need to hear. In my experience in life, I have found that opportunities are often missed because we are too angry about a wrong doing that we perceived, but was never intended. I personally think it might do you some good to read whatever it is that he had to say." Kalinin stated frankly.

"Perhaps, but we all know his intentions!" Tessa fired back.

"Ma'am, with all due respect I've known Sagara for much longer than you have, and in this matter I don't pretend to know his intentions, this is very unlike him. I would advise giving him the benefit of the doubt, particularly given your feelings for him." Kalinin pushed on.

"That's quite enough Commander, you may leave the letter here and I will dispose of it as I see fit." Tessa replied.

"Understood ma'am." Kalinin said placing the letter on the Captain's desk and seeing himself out of her office.

The young pale woman sat staring at the letter on the edge of her desk for three hours before she finally gave in to the urge to open it.

"What is it you could possibly have to say to me? Did you change your mind? No... You would have stayed..." As she continued the conversation with herself she quickly realized she was getting nowhere. In order to answer any of her questions she was going to have to read the letter. Though she felt it was probably against her better judgment she decided she would open the envelope and read.

_Captain,_

_Tessa,_

_It is with great regret that I look back on our conversation earlier today. I find myself at something of a loss after hearing you say that I'm easily replaceable. In all honesty, you are correct. A hired killer is easily replaceable, which is why I have decided that I want to do more with my life. I find the more I think about it, the more I would rather you not look at me as replaceable. After all I have found that you are, as far as I'm concerned, rather irreplaceable._

_It was my greatest honor serving under you, though I regret not being able to get to know you on a more personal level. I always feared that the things I might tell you would compromise your integrity as the Captain of the Tuatha De Danaan. _

_Thankfully, as I'm now free of all legal obligation to Mithril I can speak freely and tell you that I have always __considered you more than just my Captain,__ and more than__ a close friend. In all the time I've known you, I ha__ve __longed to tell you how I really feel. That is something that would never have been possible as an enlisted soldier._

_So now, I will continue my life, and attempt to grow into someone who you do consider irreplaceable._

_In all things, you will always be my Captain,_

_Sousuke Sagara_

Tessa was left speechless at the ease with which Sousuke apparently had said so many things she had wanted to hear. Still, for the first time since he had joined her crew she felt legitimately alone.

**Of Fish and Bunta-Kun**

It had been nine months since Tessa had read Sousuke's letter, and equally long that she had wanted to see him. All in all, her life had been rather hectic. She had moved to research and development as her Uncle had always wanted.

The threat against the Whispered had greatly diminished in the days following Sagara's last battle with Amalgam. Tessa knew that battle would be the decisive turning point that allowed the Whispered to live freely in the world without fear. She also knew it would be the point at which she would have to end Sagara's mission as Kaname's bodyguard.

Tessa's new position in research and development had landed her in Tokyo, of course her decision to take a position based in the same city as Sousuke was entirely coincidence. At least, that's what she was telling people. Secretly, she had some of the few contacts she had left in the Mithril Intelligence division trying to find the young man. A young man who had apparently utterly dropped off the earth. She was rapidly beginning to believe she made a mistake in chasing him, in fact she was starting to believe that she might not have been any better than Sagara himself. He was often criticized for putting Kaname's needs above his own, even when it served no tactical purpose .

She had left her office rather downtrodden that day, in the belief that she would never see him again. Despite the fact that it was the start of a weekend she was left depressed. She was beginning to believe that he was toying with her when he wrote her the letter. In fact, she was so depressed she decided to stop at one of the many bars along the path to her home. Truthfully, it wasn't really along the path to her home, she took a slight detour to find a particularly slummy bar along the pier that she could drink away her sorrows in. Tessa had heard quite a few stories about this particular establishment, most of them from Melissa. She figured it would be the perfect place to 'forget her problems' as Melissa so eloquently put it.

Of course, Tessa wasn't particularly adept at finding dive bars to get smashed in, at least not with the level of precision that Sergeant Major Mao could. She had found herself lost and once again alone. Tessa was becoming quite nervous walking the rapidly darkening streets of Tokyo in a slightly less than well to do part of town. As she walked she tried to distract herself, and tell herself that there was nothing to fear. So she focused on the signs, billboards and ads of various colors shapes and sizes. There were hundreds of them, but still in the sea of advertisements it wasn't very long before her eyes were drawn to a single rather odd billboard.

'Free Life Size Bunta-Kun with the Purchase of guided Fishing Expedition!' The sign was lit up brilliantly in the dying light, and she found the image of the popular bunta-kun wearing fatigues and carrying a fishing pole rather comical.

Out of curiosity she could not help herself but to follow the sign's directions to the establishment, after all, she had to see who would be crazy enough to have such an offer. If anything it might make her forget about her more pressing troubles for at least a while.

When she finally reached the destination she was saddened to see that the doors were locked, and a sign on the door read 'closed'.

'Oh well, it was at least a humorous idea.' She thought to herself. ' I might as well head home.' She quickly discarded the thought of drinking, after all the last time she drank she found herself in a rather precarious position.

Still she found herself looking at the large bunta-kun dolls through the window, it was as if she could not look away. They were in fact life sized, and they were wearing the same style of fatigues as the bunta-kun on the billboard. She felt an eerie sense of familiarity in the surroundings though, almost as if she'd seen this place before. Suddenly, Tessa was startled when she felt someone standing behind her.

"Ma'am, are you here for the late night fishing tour in Uraga harbor?" A soft, yet somewhat familiar voice said from behind her.

"Umm... No, not exactly..." She replied, her eyes still fixed on the bunta-kun dolls.

'They remind me of the time I lost my Bunta-kun... And... Sousuke?' She thought to herself.

"Are you okay?" The voice asked again.

"Oh... Yes, I'm sorry, are you the owner of this business?" Tessa asked, her gaze still focused on the dolls in the shop.

"Yes ma'am." The familiar voice responded.

"I'm sorry, you must find this really strange." She replied softly. "You see, I've lost something very important to me, and I think you might be able to help me find it." She said, desperately hoping that she hadn't tricked herself into believing that the familiar voice behind her was in fact Sousuke.

"Not a problem." Sousuke replied with a slight chuckle, confirming that Tessa had indeed found what she had been searching for.


End file.
